All You Need To Know About Salt

Virtually every food we eat has at least trace amounts of salt; junk food, home-cooked meals, snacks, even pre-packaged foods. It is quite possibly the most commonly used seasoning known to man, so much so, that it is even used as an ingredient in the making of other seasonings.

Furthermore, salt is ubiquitous around the world, and therefore cheap, ensuring that people can afford to use it as liberally as they desire.

All of this gives rise to a simple question, how healthy is this seasoning we consume in such a large quantity? What are the pros and the cons of salt?

PROS

Contrary to what most people think, salt actually helps you stay hydrated. This is because the water in your body follows sodium, so if you have too much, your body will retain water.

Saltwater rinses are one of the most effective natural remedies for anyone with mouth sores, infections, or gum disease. It is also great for rinsing out the mouth after brushing since it soothes tissue inflammation and promotes healing.

Our bodies require sufficient quantities of several minerals, including calcium, potassium, magnesium and sodium. It is imperative that we ingest these minerals, as the human body lacks the ability to make them on its own, and salt is one of the best sources for these minerals.

Salt is believed to improve sleep because it contains many helpful electrolytes for regulating hormones.

CONS

Too much of anything is bad, and unfortunately, even salt, despite how healthy it is, falls victim to that saying. Since salt causes the body to retain water, eating too much of it will cause the extra water stored in the body to raise the blood pressure. Higher blood pressure means greater strain on your heart, arteries, kidneys and brain, which can lead to heart attacks, strokes, dementia and kidney disease.

Of course, it should be noted that there are many kinds of salt and they do not all have the same components in the same quantities. Though their tastes usually do not differ much, some salts are better than others.

It is simply up to us to read the packages of whatever kind we prefer to know if it has all the little things we now know our bodies require for good health.